


No Photos

by JustAnotherGeekyAuthor



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, how do you tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28915965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherGeekyAuthor/pseuds/JustAnotherGeekyAuthor
Summary: When Lake first enters the school building, the first thing everyone notices is the way she holds herself, like she's already seen the worst the world has to offer and isn't afraid anymore. The second thing they notice is that she's made of metal.
Relationships: Jesse Cosay/Lake | Mirror Tulip
Comments: 4
Kudos: 79





	No Photos

It was the first day of school, and just like every year, the upperclassmen were laughing at the freshmen. Fresh faces, so young and innocent, walking through the doors of high school as if they were entering a monster’s mouth. The freshmen were all the same, no matter their gender or race or height: they were nervous newbies, and they were easy to scare.

Except for one. 

A hush fell across the groups of gossiping students as one particular freshman entered the building. She held herself differently, as if she had already seen the worst the world had to offer and wasn't afraid anymore. The fact that she was made of metal was the second thing they noticed, and upon noticing this the silence broke and whispers began spreading. Who was she? No one had ever seen her before, so she had to be a freshman, but why did she look and act so different? 

One girl pulled out her phone and aimed it at the metal girl, then stopped. Slowly, she put her phone back in her pocket. Another whisper began to spread: no photos of the metal girl. Somehow, everyone listened. 

She spoke to no one during her first class; if she had, the school would know. No one found out her name until second period, and not from her; from Jesse. 

During second period gym, Alan (one of the few friends Jesse had kept) was talking to Jesse in the locker room.

“Did you see that one freshman? The metal girl?”

“Oh, you mean Lake?” Jesse said. 

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend.”

The bell rang, and so that was all anyone knew. 

Come lunchtime, the whole school was rife with tension, everybody eager to find out more about the metal girl. The cafeteria was strangely silent as she entered, the only people still talking being the eraser kids huddled in the back corner, who never cared much about gossip anyways. 

She sat with Jesse and his strange assortment of friends, many of whom were from completely separate groups. For a moment the table was silent, everyone either staring at her or trying not to stare at her.

Finally Alan spoke up. “Jesse, you’re seriously dating a freshman?” 

Jesse and Lake both burst out laughing. Chatter resumed throughout the cafeteria as they started talking. The inevitable questions about Lake’s appearance did come, and she answered, though she never did explain exactly why she was made of metal. There were other questions that needed answering, but no one quite knew how to ask her why she held herself the way she did. 

In fifth period, right after lunch, Lake finally broke her silence and talked to some of the people in her English class. What they found out then, which they hadn’t managed to from lunch, was that not only was she metal in multiple senses and had all sorts of weird powers, but she was rebellious and strangely friendly, and had a tendency to act protective over anything or anyone she cared about. 

During last period, she continued talking, though not much else was learned. It was after school that the greatest insight was made.

Upperclassmen picked on the freshmen. It wasn't anything new, and it wasn't like anyone got hurt; that was just how they did things. Give them a good scare, maybe break some of their stuff, send them home with a story to tell. No one was exempt from this, not even the metal girl. But there was a need to learn more, to figure out how to scare her. So they figured they would wait a few days (this was not unusual) until they understood. But it seemed Lake had other plans.

A group of freshmen, all girls, were isolated outside. The seniors threatened them, laughed at them, but didn’t hurt them. The poor freshmen were scared to death, of course, but that was the point, wasn't it? 

Clearly, the metal girl didn’t get the memo. 

She ran in, knocked one of the seniors off his feet, and proceeded to lecture them while the freshmen ran. Eventually Jesse showed up and calmed her down, then proceeded to lecture the seniors even more. 

The thing is, the lecture  _ worked.  _

There was something about her (and Jesse, too) that made her seem worth listening to. That made them believe her words, because they rang true. Because she had the air of someone who had seen everything, who had the wisdom of someone twice her age but still understood what it was to be a teenager. Because her being made of metal was the second thing you noticed. 

The next day, no freshmen were cornered outside the building. Rumours spread, and the whispers about Lake’s words were somehow inspiring, even after passing through so many hands. 

Not every jerk in the school could be swayed. There were still people who clung to tradition, or just wanted to cause harm for fun, or just didn’t know any better. By the end of the first week, everyone knew that if you stood against Lake, she wouldn’t hesitate to use violence to get her message across. But by the end of the first month, everyone knew that if you went to Lake for help, for protection, she would stand by you with no questions asked. 

Slowly, the whispers died down. Lake became just another freshman, albeit a metal one, with friends and drama and all the usual high school things. The topic of gossip shifted to other things, like who was crushing on who and the principal’s growing bald spot. As with all things, Lake faded into the background, but she was never truly forgotten. 

They called her the metal girl at first. Those who knew her just called her Lake. But if you asked anyone who didn’t even know her how they might describe her, they would all give you the same answer.

Lake was a protector. She didn’t ask questions, didn’t need answers. She just gave, and gave, and gave. She saw through every facade, seemed to know instinctively who to trust. Though no one said it, many people secretly knew they owed their lives to Lake. 

Lake was a protector. Though no one said it, everyone agreed that in turn, they would protect her. 

So, no one took photos of the metal girl. 


End file.
